Halak could start in TO

Pat Hickey reports that Carey Price will start the season opener in Buffalo tomorrow, which most sentient Canadiens fans could have predicted, but that Jaroslav Halak could face the Leafs on Saturday night.

"We want to keep both guys sharp early in the season,” coach Guy Carbonneau said.

Patches played something like 37 college level games last year, the NHL is a big step up with a tough 82 game schedule. He needs to pace himself and hone his skills with regular ice time down in Hamilton. At some point in the season we’ll see him I’m sure. A couple of goals and a good camp doesn’t make him the reincarnation of the Rocket. Right now we’re fine without him, I guess you’re in the RFN camp.

Well, his expressions like “a couple of years” and “11 or 12 or 13 years in a row” are clearly hyperbole, but the basic idea is there: remind the kiddies that this is what it is supposed to be all about.

If God had come to me when I was young and said, “I will give you a choice – you can be a Hall of Fame player who has a lengthy and very lucrative career, but you will never win the Cup or you can be a fourth line plugger who averages 10 minutes a game for a grand total of one season, but your team wins the Cup that year”, I know what I would have chosen.

I would want my name etched on that Cup.

I think it is worth reminding the young guys (and the veterans as well) that that should be their ultimate goal.

Of course, that just might mean no free agent will ever sign with Toronto again, but that is besides the point.

heaven forbid Price plays on two consecutive nights. anyways, not much my complaining can do. Here’s hoping higgins is ready to go sooner than later, because it is amazing how quickly our lineup changes with the insertion of tom the bomb on the…gulp…third line. IMO we have too much talent on our team and in the system to have a fourth liner on the third. But, we still look good with the proposed lineup against buffalo. Go Habs Go!!!

A great story in the Windsor Star today. It seems Ron Wilson is going to let his boys, and I do mean boys, watch the Wings raise their banner to the rafters tonight. He seems to think it will inspire them, and I thought only their fans were delusional.

Here’s some of Ronnie’s words of wisdumb:

“You know what? Maybe in a couple of years we’ll be lucky enough to do the same thing ourselves.” Key word, “LUCKY” They still don’t get it.

“(It’s better than) sitting in the dressing room, thinking like you’re going to be facing the firing squad.” How about a smoke and some last words?

“Our goal is to turn ourselves into a competitive franchise where we have a shot at winning a Stanley Cup for 11 or 12 or 13 years in a row.” Don’t bogart the glue, Ron.

Well we won’t have huet letting in wrist shots from the blueline and cost us the game anyway. The only bizarre things that seem to happen in toronto is convienent penalty calls when their team is losing.

i think that if we want to shop halak he will probably see him in 8 of the first 20 games… if gainey is following that strategy it may not be a bad idea to play him in games when brisbois isnt playing.

Halak will play at least 20-25 games this year and back to backs are the best opportunity for him to play. We are not a teamthat needs to rely on one goalie heavily as both are quite capable. There is no harm in playing Halak as IMO he will end up a starting goalie for someone. I don’t see what is rhythmic about back to backs whent he majority of the season is not played back to back. I think shooting for 60-65 games is a reasonable target for Price to play and it allows Halak to be sharp if anything happens. There are very few goalies that play that many games and the ones who do have reptutations for wearing down ie, Luongo and Nabokov and Brodeur (the last few years anyway). Time will tell but I can’t see Price playing 70 plus games this year.

Carbonneau and the Canadiens management team deserve the benefit of the doubt. What they have done to turn around this team around over the last few years should give them this right.

Max Pac will be a blue chipper, but he is not ready for the NHL. There is a very big difference between an 82 game schedule (against men) and a reduced college load (against teenagers). All the raw talent in the world does not hide the fact that at the moment he would be a defensive liability. The young man has even said it himself. Let us see how he develops as a hockey player and as a man in Hamilton, and if he proves his meddle then maybe we will see him back. It is too soon to throw him to the wolves.

As far as Halak possibly playing the Leafs, i think it is a great idea. Halak has the potential to be a number 1 goalie in the league. When you have an asset like that on the team, to waste it is not wise. He will be essential in helping Carey have more confidence in his game ; through competition as well as knowing he has someone amply able to back him up to reduce the already astronomical pressure that he has on his very young shoulders.

We will never get any value for Halak when the time finally comes to deal him, unless we show the Gm’s in the NHL what that value is by playing him.

Does anyone remember a chap by the name of Tomas Vokoun? He had a few great seasons and we lost him for nothing. This can not happen with Halak.

Watching the Wings and Leafs game right now…granted it is game one of the season, but the Leafs look pretty good….they are causing problems for the Wings, tight D and they look like they are using a three-man forecheck on the opposing blueline….do not get cocky fellow Habs fans, do not ruin the karma by saying that Les Boys will paste them. The Leafs always play the Habs hard, too hard sometimes.

The leafs are 10x better than last season gents…. speed (lots of it) and grit and most importantly they don’t give up… a goalie that plays 20 games straight or more (but we rest Pricey eh carb?) and a bunch of 18 and 19 year olds!!!!!…but we have to send PAX to learn how to be a man!!!

man i hope this media craze doesn’t backfire on us – we’ve broke the laws of Sun Tzu…were braggards!!…bottom leafs may be on top and ‘projected 1st habs’ will be???? damn I even read something today about wings vs habs in the final!!!…oh boy…were in trouble!

of course ALL comments post season are just shallow predictions or observations, speculations not based on much fact. What else do you expect 24hrs before our first game. Alot of questions will be answered in the next 48hours.

my only point is the media including the NHL and Don Cherry himself all saying the habs will be in the cup race and toronto will be a bottom feeder…its those types of comments/hype that put us behind the 8 ball to start the season.

I read this wrong at first and my initial response was, duh, of course Halak could start in TO. They had Raycroft for crying out loud! I could start in TO! Ah, I see. Goalie controversy? Nah. We good. Price needs not to be tired in April.

19 year old kid is going to burnout?…at 19 you don’t even need to breath, your muscles recover before you even sit on the bench…unlike some of the chaps we’ll have there to start the season…better bring the oxygen masks!
Carb hater? see below.

I don’t hate Carb – but I have questioned his decisions many times (benching Ryder, starting Breeze over Obryne etc…) your right about Cautious..Carb is way too cautious with his lineup. as for Huet, I was 100% for Price, and welcomed this decision. When I see talent I want it on the team.
simple: PAX in DANDY out, OBRYNE in BREEZE out, CHIP in KOSTOP pressbox, STEWART in BEGIN pressbox, higgins on the third, sergie on the 2nd, larock on the 4th..it doesn’t take a genius to figure out where are boys should be.

It’s Lee Hayes, I need you to contact me so we can coordinate meeting up with eachother on the 18th!! My cell number is 1.250.589.2401, my father and I are staying at the Hotel Du Fort. Looking forward to hearing from you. I’m in Ottawa and would love to hang out with you before the trip to Montreal.

A Carbo hater with no facts to back it up. It’s obvious why they were sent down to Hamilton, why would you want to risk burnout. I don’t understand why you call yourself professor, you’re comments are suited for daycare at best.

If you have your history book nearby you might want to open in. Montreal has not faired well lately at the Air Canada Centre. Don’t take Saturday Night’s game for granted…..that’s all I’m saying. Bizarre things have happened to us against Toronto. Wake up my friend.

Once a Carbo hater, always a Carbo hater, eh Professor? What if the pressure hits Maxwell and Patches? What if you lose the players you waive to make room for them? Then what? Better to be cautious, these two guys will get their chances.

What did you say last year when Price was given the starting job? I bet you wanted to keep Huet…

Maybe you some of you have seen this, but i just read and interesting article about the habs and how they will finish 10pts lower then last year…..I dont think so but they seem to and this is not from Toronto either…

I haven’t commented in a while, but I still visit this site at least 10 times daily. We haven’t even played our first game and some people are already complaining. WTF? Does it matter who goes in net against the Laffs? How about we make valid complaints, ones that are worth discussing. I can’t really think of any right now, being a Hab fan is pretty good I tell ya

why do they have to play 8mins? I think they impressed enough to warrant more. My point, go with the best, if it doesn’t work then send them down… Carb is doing the opposite…if you can’t see that now, you will shortly.

I would have put Halak in against Buffalo and Price in against Toronto. Halak is a good goalie, I know that, but I just don’t like taking Toronto for granted. Even though the Leafs suck, they always play their best against Montreal. After Detroit humiliates them tonight in their Stanley Cup banner raising home opener, Wilson will be pissed and aiming his first win against Montreal in Toronto land. The Leafs-Habs game will be on Hockey Night in Canada which adds a little more pressure. I just think we should have our #1 goalie in on Saturday night, even if Halak is more like our #1.2 goalie as opposed to our #2 goalie. To sum it up, I hate losing to the Leafs and don’t want to take any chances. All this said, we’ll probably still win both games. But I’d rather lose to Buffalo than Toronto.

They didn’t keep the best players? Where do you get that from? Remember that sending players to the minors instead of having them play 8 minutes a game is the right decision (in Maxwell & Pacioretty’s cases).

I cannot for the life of me understand that there are still Carbo doubters.

there is so much euphoria built into this year thanks to the media that it seems the coach can do no wrong!…just the mere presence of the almighty CH on the ice should be enough to finish 1st and beyond!..heck, we don’t even need players, just wave a CH flag and the other team will run out of the building!

We need to wake up out of this glorified dream. This is going to be a hard fought campaign…please level your expectations. I believe we can evolve into a great team but right now we are in for a big surprise.

Management clearly didn’t let the “best” players make the team…now we are going to see the result.

…or maybe 99% of the posters here are correct, we are awesome no matter who is on the ice or in the nets or what decisions are made behind the bench!
ya!!!!!!!!!!!!

Geez guys I would be surprised if Price plays a back to back set all year. We have the luxury of having a guy like Halak who can ease the burden. This is the right move without doubt and Halak has to saty sharp too. I’m not sure why all of the concern. Kostopolous with Lang and Sergei …..I will admit that sounds a little odd but Lang and Sergei alone are enough to generate offense so if Kosto can go tot he net and collect garbage it should be a pretty successsful line.